


To Start A Fire: vol. I

by lollipopmania



Series: Golden [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Gen, One Shot Collection, Other, Posted Elsewhere, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-12
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-08-22 02:47:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8269748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lollipopmania/pseuds/lollipopmania
Summary: "Don't flatter yourself," he muttered with a resolute voice. "I have yet to be so tempted as to force my intentions on you." "And yet here you stand, requesting me."





	1. Thief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Old collection I stupidly never posted here. I will be updating all the old chapters though to correct my youthful struggle to write. All titles come from various Alexz Johnson songs I felt were relevant to the text. 
> 
> *****note specific to this chapter: 
> 
> This one is in a semi-au verse where Tsunade doesn't wake up after Pein's invasion and Danzou and his crew stage a coup and try to kill all people they think are loyal to Tsunade.

 

* * *

**Thief**

* * *

 

There was a soft thud.

Not quite loud enough for Shikamaru to think that their camp had been spotted, but certainly enough out of place to put him on guard -- or, _more_ on guard than he already was.

He stiffened, but didn't turn around. Instead, he continued circling the path of his sentry duty, albeit much slower and with a careful gait that he hoped would make him appear unaware in case the thud was caused by someone with less-than-amicable intentions. 

The forest was thick and dense surround his wayward trail. It was as good a hiding place as Kakashi and the other jonin had been able to come up with in a hurry. Supposedly they were somewhere near Ame, but Shikamaru hadn't been paying much attention to their current geography the past two weeks. But it was somewhere the Anbu following them might hesitate to look, as Konoha wasn't on good terms with most countries in the area.

Unfortunately, never having traveled this way, Shikamaru was unsure whether or not the noises following the thud — the small scratching and what sounded like the latching of a buckle — were part of the forest itself or belonged to an unwanted guest.

Not wanting to risk it — though he was aware that most Anbu, most Root, that is, would already have attacked — he used a sideways shadow to pin a kunai to a trunk in the area the noise had come from.

The voice was muted.

"Wrong tree, idiot."

His pulse jumped as a figure leapt down from somewhere in the canopy of leaves.

Before his eyes even leveled with hers, Shikamaru was stalking forward with urgency, forcing Temari to walk backwards until she was pinned between himself and a large tree. It was only a moment before his hand was covering her mouth, his body pressing tightly to her own. Had he been less occupied, Shikamaru would have reveled in the contact. Their proximity had rarely been so intimate, and he could easily feel every inch of her front pressing sharply into his. But Shikamaru _was_ otherwise occupied, and the thought hardly occurred to him. Looking past her and into the woods, he narrowed his eyes, scanning for anything out of the ordinary, before coming back to pin his gaze down into her's. "You can't be here, Temari."

She'd rarely heard him sound so... fiercely resolute, even when he was speaking in broken whispers to keep any nearby scouts from locating a position. Without the ability to open her mouth, Temari raised her brows in challenge. Without backing down, Shikamaru slowly removed his hand.

"I am here to help."

"We don't need you." It was clear that Shikamaru was in little condition to argue, the dark circles under his eyes and the washed-out paleness of his cheeks enough to justify her claim, but the look in his gaze posed something deadly.

"The average lifespan for a missing-nin in Konoha is three weeks. In Suna, it's two. You have used up both. According to statistics, you have only seven more days at best, Shikamaru."

"We have the top shinobi in the village, give us more credit than that."

"But you also have some of the okay ones. A _lot_ of the okay ones. Our spies say that thirty of the condemned one hundred made it out of the village. Danzou is sending out all of Root after you guys. Ten experts won't cut it. I can help."

Shikamaru felt his chest heat as she repeated what he was already well aware of. " _Temari_."

"I'm not going to leave."

"So what? We're going to need Gaara's help when the revolution begins. He can't just send his jonin away to join Naruto right now."

"Danzou already _had_ his men search all of Suna. Gaara is playing it safe for now. He doesn't need me."

"Your people need you more than we do. Go _home_."

"I'm not leaving," she said again -- sharper this time, though still hushed.

He leaned closer. "We don't need you."

" _You_ need me!"

" _I_ don't need you hurt."

This time, his expression was enough to make her stop. With one last press, this time stronger and almost painful, against her, Shikamaru took a step away, averting his eyes to the ground.

"I can't have you here, Temari. Don't you understand?"

"Then come with me." His head snapped up. "Come with me, back to Suna. Sneaking you in is easy. Keeping you there is easier."

"I can't."

"I'm not leaving you, Shikamaru." Her voice raised the slightest amount. "Either I stay, or you come with me."

"We can't do that." There was a pause and he sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking behind him to the path he'd been following.

"I can't _leave_ you here, Shikamaru!" Temari took two steps forward and grabbed onto his vest, pulling him back to face her. "You'll die. Don't _you_ understand? You'll _die out here._ "

"Not anytime soon." It was a lie. They both knew it.

She pulled her head into his chest. "I don't know what I'd do with you, Shikamaru. Please. _Please_."

He looked up at the branches above him, baiting his breath for three long moments before placing his hands on her forearms and pushing her away. "We each have our places, Temari. Yours is with your family, in Suna. Mine is with my family, here." He laced his fingers through the hair that had dropped out of its hold to fall against her neck and pulled her head back into his chest. "You know that."

Muffled in his clothing, "Shikamaru—"

"Temari. You need to go."

There was another moment of wait before he moved his lips -- much more of a press than a kiss -- over her forehead and then she pulled away. She didn't even look at before she turning back to the edge of their small clearing.

"Is she still alive?"

After a beat, Shikamaru gave a sound of affirmation.

With Choji one of the dead on his way out of Konoha, the very unconscious Ino was one of the few Shikamaru had left. "Do you want me to take her?"

"No."

Temari exhaled. The silence was heavy.

"That's all then."

She continued with her steps away from him toward the tree she'd descended from not two minutes before. "I'll always come back to you." He said softly. Temari stopped walking. " _We will take Konoha back_."

She looked over her shoulder, thinking over her words. "When Naruto is ready, we will —  _Gaara will —_ be there."

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!  
> and if you have any requests, please give them! i haven't finished v2 yet, so I need more material!
> 
> and let me know your thoughts!


	2. Voyeur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still taking requests, FYI.

She had only left the party for five minutes when he interrupted her peace once again. Seeing his shadow beside her, Temari tightened her gloved hand on the balcony railing, willing him to understand her intention and leave her be.

“That is it then?” asked her guest.

With strained patience, Temari resisted the urge to groan.

“You refuse to comply with my request only to wander to the balcony alone? I admit my pride was injured when you refused; but now the rejection increases to the degree of physical anguish when I realize you were not too busy to dance with me. Rather, you were just disinclined to be my partner.”

Temari turned around and looked up into the eyes of the Nara heir. “Your words hold little charm over me, my Lord; there is no need to put effort into wooing me. Your efforts are better spent on someone more appreciative.”

“My advances do not charm you?” Nara moved to stand beside her and leaned over the railing to look down at the moonlit gardens below. “A surprise, I admit. Perhaps there is some other way to gain your interest that I am not privy to?”

“I’m afraid men like you don’t interest me.”

“That’s very general,” Nara said, closing his eyes as though he was too exhausted to continue with them open. “And when you say men like me, what do you mean precisely? Intelligent? Agreeable?”

“Promiscuous.”

“Promiscuous?” he repeated. “Hasn’t a woman as educated and independent as yourself learned not to trust rumors?”

Temari sighed, leaning her hip against the railing and facing him. “I don’t believe in rumors, my Lord, only things I witness with my own eyes. My bedroom is right across from yours, if you recall.”

At this, Nara opened his eyes, quickly and only for a moment before he turned to her and blinked rapidly, caught quite off guard. “Have you been spying on me?”

“Perhaps the drapes are there to be shut in the first place? I have seen you take more than one woman to bed in the three months I have been staying here. Not to mention the men you also seem to enjoy." She looked away and made the rash decision of following with: it is almost as though you want me to see, even though she knew exactly what kind of interaction she was continuing if she pursued in such a manner.

Nara shrugged, apparently not the least put off by her comment on his sexual practices. “Have you ever had the touch of another human being, Temari?”

She glanced back. His eyes caught the moonlight. “What business is it of yours?”

He shrugged again, head inclining to the right as he watched her. “None, but if you had, you might better understand the practice of engaging in intimacy with other people.” He sighed, narrowing his eyes. “Though to be honest, you don’t quite look the chaste type, so perhaps you too are well versed in the use of sexual intimacy.” In the way he said it, Temari found herself fairly unaffected, though she did recognize that the actual words could be insulting had they been said more cunningly or with more bite. “Although,” he noted absently, “in the few months you have been at my father’s estate, I have yet to see you entertain any nighttime guests.”

She was momentarily proud of herself for resisting the urge to appear surprised.

A smirk creased the corner of his mouth and he looked away from her, back over the gardens. “Remember, the windows between us do go both ways.”

“Don’t you find it rather unseemly and inappropriate for a young lord to so crudely admit to spying on his guests?”

“If you are seeking consolation, take into account that I don’t look into the other windows accessible to me. I am not a predator,Temari. I do not look at anyone that does not want to be looked at.”

Temari gave a hard frown, knowing he could see it even if he wasn’t looking directly at her. “Consolation? By knowing I am the only one you look at? I assure you, your advances are unwanted.”

Nara turned back towards her and Temari could feel her breath catch as he looked at her with something new in his eyes. “As you said,” he responded in a much lower voice, “there is a reason our drapes are not closed.”

“I--”

“You must know I’ve seen you,” he interrupted, speaking slowly, “no woman, or person for that matter, would act so coyly had they known they were completely alone.”

There was a long beat. Temari licked her lips, feeling her heart rate quicken. “And if I were confirm your suspicions?” Nara’s form turned to face her too quickly to appear unaffected. “Would you invite me to your bed, like you have all those others?” Although he was staring at her with a bored expression, she had seen his eyes widen the instant the words had registered with him.

“Don’t flatter yourself.” He muttered with a resolute voice, though she believed he was feeling quite the opposite. “I have yet to be so tempted in watching you rest as to force my intentions on you.”

“And yet here you stand, requesting me.”

Nara wiped his thumb over his lower lip, eyes bright. “You’ve been staying in Konoha since the spring, and yet, we have spoken little more than a few sentences to one another. I requested you to dance with me, perhaps in an attempt to better acquaint myself with the sister of the Kazekage and my father’s guest; not to invite you to share my bed.”

Temari took a step closer to him, putting only a few inches between them. The tightness of her gown began to feel too constricting, and the material, which went out from her waist to form a large skirt, brushed over Nara’s calves. She tilted her head to look up at him. He was much taller up close. “Are you sure those were your intentions?”

In an unexpected move, Nara swallowed and Temari could feel the smirk taking hold of her mouth. He cleared his throat and let his gaze travel down her neck to settle on the plumpness of her breasts for only an instant before snapping his eyes back to hers. “To be so candid, I have had such implied intentions since the day you arrived, though my request for a dance was only meant amicably. Though if my request were to be complied with, my initial... intentions would surely take hold.”

“What if I told you that I don’t enjoy dancing as a pastime?”

Without missing a beat, Nara matched her smirk and reached out to draw his thumb across the inside of her wrist before pulling back. “Then I might let you know that there are other ways to get to know someone.”

“I am sure there are.”

The following silence was not uncomfortable. Temari was not a crude person by nature. And she was surely not attracted to men like the young heir, as she had previously acknowledged. But she was quite aware of the fact that she often found herself wondering if Nara was ever as voyeuristically curious with her as she was with him. And though she had neither expected nor wanted this sort of conversation -- action -- to take place, it did have a sort of relieved and inevitable feeling attached to it.

“There you are!” The double doors leading to the large balcony opened and a beautiful blonde girl Temari had seen Nara with frequently -- though admittedly never in his bed chamber -- strode through, the light reflecting off her hair. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere, Shikamaru. You...” she trailed off when noticing the proximity of Nara and Temari. “Oh, my apologies. Am I interrupting something?”

Temari took a step back and absently rubbed her wrist where it burned. “Not in the least.”

Nara cleared his throat.

The blonde one looked between the two of them and then took a few more steps to reach out and grab Nara by his sleeve. “Come. You owe me a dance and this is the last song of the night.”

With one last look, Nara acquiesced with the girl and followed her back into the ballroom. Temari watched as he receded, turning back over the balcony as soon as she saw him turn his head to glance back at her. Although whatever plans they had been making -- it was very vague, she’d admit -- had abruptly been put to a halt, she felt more content than she had since arriving in Konoha.

In the very least, she had more, though very wayward, respect for him.

And later that night, when she entered her rooms, she pulled open the heavy velvet curtains covering the wide window in line with her bed. An hour or so later, after her handmaid had left and Temari was dressed for bed, she pulled her hair from its plait down her back. She lit a candle to lighten the room. And then, without any internal conflict, Temari pulled her night dress over her head in one swift motion, leaving her completely nude. In the mirror on the wall Temari watched, in the reflection behind her, the drapes covering the window across the courtyard part open to reveal the outline of a man with long, dark hair leaning on the sill, his chin in his hand and his face turned toward her window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come talk to me!


	3. Skipping Stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> obligatory coffee-shop au

"If it is that bad, why you don't just use your savings. I mean, Christ, your father is loaded. Or just move back into that place he bought for you all."

Temari scrunched her nose and looked away from Sakura's inquisitive gaze. "It's too busy. Gaara conducts a lot of his work there; people always coming in and out."

"Because Kankuro's apartment is so much calmer."

Her eyes narrowed. "At least he gives me my space."

The bell above the door chimed and both Sakura and Temari looked over to see a man dressed in jeans, a large black sweater, and a trench coat enter.

"Isn't he a little late today?" Sakura asked under her breath, leaning over the counter to grab a menu and hand it to Temari.

Temari glanced at the clock behind her and shrugged. Since she'd been working this shift, the man had come in every Tuesday and Thursday between 11 o'clock and 11:10. It was 11:30 now. She probably would have noticed, had today not been so... climactic.

Wiping her hands on her apron and bookmarking the open textbook in front of her, Temari took the menu -- though she knew this more than anything was for show -- and walked over to the booth in the corner the man was currently (always) sitting in.

"Hello," she opened, handing him the plastic menu. "Can I get you anything?"

Without looking at her, the man removed his thick scarf and set it down on the table. She had been working the night shift at Skipping Stone for several months now and she was pretty sure he only wore variations of the same items of clothing -- sorry, that was unfair of her; in warmer weather, he did ditch the scarf. Regardless though, he always appeared clean, even with the scent of stale of cigarettes that seemed to consistently accompany him. She had caught herself wondering every now and then if his closet _was_ just a set of dark sweaters and black coats, or if he simply continued to wash the same outfit every night. Or every Tuesday and Thursday, at least.

"Coffee," he ordered in the same deep and vaguely disinterested voice she had grown used to. "Black."

Without opening it once, he handed back the menu.

"Sure."

She walked back to the counter where Sakura had already prepped a cup and was filling it up.

"You could stand to be a little kinder," Sakura chided softly, "you do realize customers like to be treated friendly, especially when they know you."

"I _don't_ know him."

"He comes in all the time and always orders the same thing. There is no need to treat him like a stranger."

Temari rolled her eyes and took the coffee. "If you treat him like he's special he will only get arrogant."

"How do you know he's arrogant? You never even talk to him."

"Look at his hair, Sakura. As soon as you put it in a ponytail, _especially_ when you mess it up like that, you lose all benefit of the doubt. How hard do you think he tries to be accidentally handsome?"

Sakura chuckled. "He is friends with Ino. She likes him well enough."

"Because Ino is such a humble person."

"All I mean," Sakura said patiently, "is that you could stand to be a little nicer. Especially when he tips so well."

"How about you try waiting on him?" Temari bit back.

"He only sits in your section."

"You're the one that always assigns me the same section!"

Sakura waved her hand as though to dismiss Temari's line of argument. 

Temari tightened her fingers around the mug and walked back to the booth in the corner. The jazz music on the radio was probably loud enough to drown out their conversation at the counter, not to mention they'd been speaking quietly. Either way, the man didn't give any sign that he'd heard them. He just sat there, hands clasped together on the table and eyes drawn out the window.

She set down the coffee next to his elbow. "Would you like anything else?" She tried, as she did every time.

"No. Thank you."

"Anyway," Sakura said when Temari came back to the counter, "it doesn't matter how much Kankuro physically leaves you alone. It's only going to get worse," Sakura noted, referring back to their earlier conversation.

Temari shrugged. "I know, but come May, if she's not accidentally pregnant and Kankuro's not failing any classes, they'll move away after he graduates. Then I'll get the place to myself."

"Right," Sakura said, "but how are you supposed to pass your finals when your brother and his girlfriend don't understand noise levels?"

"How are _you_ supposed to pass yours while talking to me?" Temari snapped.

Sakura threw up her hands in mock surrender. "I'm just saying, you've been complaining about it for months now, and she wasn't even living with you. Now you say she is moving in _right before_ exams and you aren't going to do anything about it? You can hardly sleep with all that noise."

Temari bit her lip and turned back to her book, "go study, Sakura," she ground out. Sakura sighed and went into the backroom where she had her pre-med texts laid out all over the floor. Temari rested her elbows back on the counter and opened her thick textbook back to the bookmarked page. She didn't read half a paragraph before she was interrupted.

The man cleared his throat. He was right before her. 

"Excuse me."

Temari glanced up, surprised. In all the months he'd been coming here, they'd had the same routine. And it had already been enacted for tonight. At this point he was supposed to get up, leave a crisp $20 on the table -- significantly more than the coffee was worth, technically by price and definitely by quality -- and head out before she could give him his change.

They had a script, but for some reason, he was breaking it.

God, was  _every_ constant in her life falling apart in the same day?!

"Could I have a refill?" He continued when she didn't respond.

After a beat, she blinked. "Um, sure." She'd never seen him so up-close before. He was much taller than he appeared from far away or when sitting down. Even if he was skinny and beautiful in a feminine sort of way, his height suddenly made him quite intimidating. She looked down to see him extending his empty mug. Temari took it, trying very hard to make sure their fingers didn't brush. He was making her uncomfortable.

She walked over to the coffee pots. Maybe Sakura had been right about being more friendly with her regular customers. And who knew, maybe he'd tip more (honestly accepting a larger tip than that had to be a crime).

"You came in late today."

Turning around, Temari faced him while pouring the coffee. Apparently, this newfound dialogue between the two surprised him as well, as his eyes widened a bit. He was much prettier than she'd thought at first as well. His dark eyes were rimmed with thick black lashes and his lips were a natural shade of dark pink that gave some sort of color to his face. His cheekbones and jaw were strong. He was a hell of a lot better looking than she was. Probably better looking than Sakura, which was a pretty daunting statement.

His surprised look turned sheepish for a second as he brushed a piece of stray hair behind his ear. "Did I?"

Standing on opposite sides of the ivory counter, Temari eyed him for a moment longer before placing her fingers on the rim of his mug and pushing it back. She could feel something bright and quite familiar beginning to pulse in her gut.

"Anything else?" She asked pointedly, ignoring his question.

The man looked at her for a second before taking the coffee back. This time, their fingers brushed. Temari snapped her hand away. He was making her uncomfortable again, though the warm feeling in the pit of stomach didn't go away, which made for an altogether indescribable emotion of two counteracting feelings. She didn't like it very much, though she acknowledged the fascination.

"Is there any particular reason you're not using your inheritance to rent an apartment on your own?" He asked after a moment.

She gaped. "What? Were you listening? And how the hell do you know about my inheritance?"

Her heart rate quickened when he cocked a smirk, her annoyance growing. "Temari, right?" He said with no questioning lilt at the end. "My father works with your brother."

Temari eyed him carefully. The fact that he knew who she was -- probably had known as long as he'd been coming here -- made the whole loner thing he had going a whole lot fucking creepier. Sakura liked him, only because she liked Ino, and while Temari didn't _mind_ Ino, she had trusted her friendship with this guy. But _fuck_. She couldn't imagine why Ino liked him at all.

Still though, creepy or not, she couldn't find it in herself to be scared of him. Not only because she didn't think he was that dangerous -- she was pretty sure she could beat him up too, but that was another matter -- but there was something genuine and good-hearted about his demeanor. If anything, _that_ was what made her feel... apprehensive.

"I don't know what to do when I finish school," she admitted slowly, regarding him with irresolute interest. "I am saving my inheritance until then. I might be out of work for a very long time."

"This is not meant to be insulting, only inquisitive," he prompted. She frowned, but nodded for him to continue. "Your family has enough money for you to live comfortably your whole life without working at all. Is there any particular reason you aren't using it?"

"That's awfully personal," Temari commented, lips falling into a hard line.

He shrugged.

She gave a small sigh and licked her lips. It wasn't something she talked about often, though she wasn't opposed to talking about it either. "I don't want to ask my father for money." Which she would have to do, if she were to not work for the rest of her life, which at the moment, seemed like a legitimate possibility when she failed out of college because her brother couldn't keep it in his pants.

The man picked up his mug without responding and took a long sip, eyeing her over the cup. He set it down again and wiped the wetness on his lips with the back of his hand. "You really have no idea what career you want to pursue?"

"No idea whatsoever."

"And your major?"

The radio station they were listening to stopped playing music for a moment to make note on the coming snowstorm. It was supposed to start in a few hours and last three days. She stopped for a few seconds to listen to the update. "I'm one year into getting a masters in physics."

He nodded and took another large sip of his now cool coffee. When he set down the cup this time, it was empty. He pushed the cup back to her over the counter and reached into the inside breast pocket of the coat he was still wearing. He pulled out a slim wallet and placed another twenty dollar bill on the counter. "I should get home."

"Coffee is only $1.25," she said loudly as he walked back to his booth to grab his scarf.

"Save up to buy an apartment away from your brother."

"Aren't you a student?" She doubted he was older than her, plus, almost every young adult who lived around here -- which she assumed he did -- was somehow connected to the university. "You should probably keep it."

He straightened his coat and wrapped his scarf around his neck, tucking in the hair at the end of his ponytail that reached his neck. His hair was longer than hers. "Dropped out," he commented lightly before raising a hand in what might have been a wave and pulling open the door. The bells clinked as he left.

Dropped out? Temari sighed and picked up the money, stuffing it into her apron. She glanced back at the clock. Her shift ended at 1am. She had another hour and fifteen minutes. There were no other customers and only one or two people, if any, came in during that time. She took a rag from the sink and began wiping down the counter, a requirement every hour.

"Aren't you proud of me?" She said loudly.

"For having a conversation?" Came Sakura's muffled reply behind the door to the backroom.

"For being nice to a customer."

"If that's what you call nice, then yeah."

Temari groaned and threw the rag back into the sink.

 

* * *

 

 

On Thursdays, Sakura came in an hour earlier than Temari, which meant she also left an hour earlier, so when midnight struck, the younger girl grabbed her coat, slipped on her snow boots, and bid Temari goodnight. By now, Temari usually had the whole place to herself. But for some reason, her customer was still sitting there, staring out the window. Although this side of town was pretty much a hub for students and university faculty, there was no one outside in this weather and at this time of night. Absently, during breaks in her studying, she found herself wondering what he was looking at out that window that would keep his interest for so long.

"Are you leaving anytime soon?" She asked him from across the room.

Even though she could tell he got the hint, he merely glanced over at her without any sort of expression on his face. "Are you closing?"

"No."

"Then no," he responded blankly before turning back to the window. The streetlights were the only thing illuminating the sidewalk.

Temari sighed. "Do you mind if I turn off the music then?"

"Can't study?"

"I can, I just have trouble reading when music is playing."

Still looking at the window, he waved his hand for her to continue. "Do what you want,".

Stealing the stool that was usually where the cashier sat during the day and moving it to the middle of the counter, Temari sat down, and once again, began to pour over her books.

She couldn't concentrate anymore though. She shouldn't have said anything to him, it was taking away from her focus. Instead, she found herself constantly looking up to watch the man in the booth watch the street outside. She had been relatively distracted and frequently occupied this past week and hadn't had much of a chance to reflect on her previous conversation with him. He was interesting person. It wasn't in what he'd said -- he hadn't said much -- but in the way he carried himself, physically.

He was mysterious and hard to read, which in turn made him all the more captivating. It was certainly possible that he wasn't all that hard to read, there just wasn't much to be read, but she had a feeling there was, and that he was just a more inwardly focused person.

She didn't _want_ to understand him. She didn't have a crush on him or anything. He was just... interesting.

"You should be studying," he commented, effectively pulling her from her thoughts. "Stop staring at me."

Temari's brows shot up.

"I can see your reflection," he answered, still not facing her. "Isn't your first test in two weeks?"

She bristled, he'd been eavesdropping on her and Sakura again. "If you left, I'd be able to get more done."

"You might as well give up then." This time her turned to look at her. "You look tired," he offered, gesturing to the seat across from him. "Come sit."

"I'm working."

"Serving what customers?"

Temari sighed, waited a moment, and then bookmarked her page, slid off the stool and walked over to this table. He gestured for her to take a seat and with one more reluctant sigh, Temari slid in opposite him.

She waited, and when he didn't speak, she turned to the window and began looking out. He follow suit and they sat there in silence until the alarm on her phone went off.

"My shift ends in ten minutes."

"Are you going home then?"

She raised her brows. "Actually, I run all my errands at one in the morning."

The man rolled his eyes, nevertheless reaching into his inside breast pocket for his wallet. Temari stood, feeling the cool air wash over the outside of her thigh where it had been pressed against his. She hadn't even realized they'd been touching.

She grabbed his empty mug and walked into the kitchen to stick it in the wash. In the back room, she hung up her apron grabbed her coat. Lee, the man in charge of the place until 5am when another waiter joined him and the cook came to open up the kitchen, was waiting in the front when Temari came out.

They exchanged a few words after greeting and then they parted. When Temari left the cafe, the snow was falling harder than it had that evening when she'd come in. She looked to her right and left. Her customer was nowhere to be found. Temari walked home, the snow crunching beneath her feet.

 

* * *

 

"You know," Sakura said a week and a half later, "I have a room in the dorms."

" _You_ live there."

Sakura shrugged. "I can stay at Kakashi's for the rest of the month. He won't mind."

"Are you just trying to dump your bitch of a roommate on me?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and looked back down at her book. "No," she said, tracing her finger along some diagram of some body part reacting to some disease Temari had no interest in ever learning about, "I'm trying to help you out. Though my roommate really is a bitch."

"You'd be distracted at Kakashi's apartment. I can't force you to sacrifice your exams for me."

Sakura raised her brows, though she wasn't paying much attention, "trust me, it's harder to concentrate when living with Karin. At least Kakashi understands the need for quiet."

"Don't worry," Temari said, stacking the last of the dishes from the drying rack. "My first exam is in one week. All I need to do is hold out until then. Kankuro and his girlfriend aren't _that bad_. And during winter break I'll look for another place on my own."

"Temari--"

"Thanks, but I don't need charity Sakura."

"It's not charity, it's a favor. You'll have to repay me in kind."

Temari turned to face her coworker with narrowed eyes, "I'm not sure I want to owe _you_ a favor."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Remember when we met? Ino and I both had the afternoon shift and one day she asked you to cover for her in return for a favor and her tips?"

"That's a bad example."

She raised her eyebrows, "you made her do your grocery shopping for three weeks."

"I wouldn't do that to you."

A shrug. "Not going to risk it."

Sakura waved her hand, "it's an offer." 

The man was back, sitting in his usual booth. She had seen him two more times since the night he asked about her to sit with him, and both times, neither of them had deviated from the usual. Taking a menu in hand, Temari walked over.

"Hello," she said, watching him carefully and handing him the menu. "Can I get you anything?"

He removed his scarf and, without looking at her, ordered a coffee, black. He then handed back the menu.

Temari came back to the counter where Sakura was preparing a fresh pot. "Anyways," she said, "think about it." She handed Temari a clean mug and poured in the new brew.

"Is that all I can get you?" Temari asked as she placed the coffee in front of the man.

Still looking out the window, silky hair in his eyes, he licked his bottom lip, reaching out and taking the handle of the cup and lifting it to his mouth. "No. Thank you." Temari gave a short nod and was turning around to go back to the counter when he continued. "You can live with me."

"What?"

He looked up at her. "I have a bed, if you need one."

"Jesus!" Temari snapped, stopping dead in her tracks, "stop listening to our conversations! And fuck, are some kind of pervert? Inviting your _waitress_ into your bed?"

The man sighed and leaned back in the booth, rubbing his eyes and looking altogether exasperated. But Temari's heart was pounding and her face was flushed and she couldn't believe some guy was asking her to move in with him. "I'm not inviting you to _share_ a bed... god, you're such a pain," the man ground out. "I have an extra bedroom."

Temari said nothing, still surprised and altogether quite unsure how to react. A moment passed and then the man scooted out of the booth. He stopped before Temari, who was partially blocking his way, but she didn't move and he was forced to take her shoulders and physically adjust her placement to grab his scarf.

He then placed his usual $20 on the table and from another pocket, pulled out a small pad and pen. He ripped out half a page of paper from the pad and scribbled something relatively illegible before putting everything away except the note, which he left on top of the money next to a half-full cup of black coffee.

"My name 's Shikamaru Nara, by the way." He comment in a very offhand way, before stepping past her and out the door. The bells jingled on his way out.

 

* * *

 

Temari un-crumpled the slip of paper in her pocket. It wasn't the one the man --  _Shikamaru Nara --_ had written her. She hadn't been able to clearly read that copy, and so Ino had written down his address for her the day before.

 _239 East Street_ , _apt no.4_

Temari stood outside a whitewashed door with chipped paint. A black _4_ hung below the peephole. The neighborhood wasn't particularly nice, but it was quiet -- and it was across the street from the east side of campus, which made it coveted and expensive.

She wasn't sure whether it was really the best idea to come here -- well, she was positive it wasn't the best idea, far from it actually; probably the third or fourth best option she could think of -- but it was the only somewhere acceptable choice she had.

Temari took a long breath, sucking on her lower lip. She set down her duffle and shoved the piece of paper in her coat pocket once again. One more sigh and then she raised her hand and rapped at door. Twice.

There was a long pause and she wondered if he wasn't home, and then, she heard shuffling and the doorknob turned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> someday i'll come back and rewrite this or write a much longer, more well-rounded coffee shop story.


End file.
